Dishwasher appliances generally include a tub that defines a wash compartment. Rack assemblies are mounted within the wash compartment and are configured for receipt of articles for washing. Spray assemblies are also mounted within the wash compartment and can apply wash fluid to articles within the rack assemblies during operation of the dishwasher appliance. The spray assemblies can include a lower spray assembly directly or indirectly mounted to the tub at a bottom of the wash compartment, a mid-level spray assembly mounted to one of the rack assemblies, and an upper spray assembly directly or indirectly mounted to the tub at a top of the wash compartment.
The spray assemblies can each include spray arms that rotate and direct wash fluid onto articles in the rack assemblies. Generally, such spray arms are mounted to the spray assemblies using fasteners that extend through the spray arm into other components of the spray assemblies or the tub. In other designs, the spray arms can be secured onto the spray assemblies using snap fit connections. Such snap fit connections can require a bearing that supports the spray arm to be rotated relative to the spray arm in order to secure or engage the snap fit connections.
However, the upper spray assembly is preferably designed to avoid interfering with articles within the rack assembly. In particular, the upper spray assembly's components can be designed such that the upper spray assembly has a thin or narrow profile. Such design constraints can cause difficulty in mounting the upper spray assembly's spray arm with a fastener. Similarly, an assembly worker may have difficulty grasping or rotating the bearing of the spray assembly during manufacture of the dishwasher appliance in order to mount the spray arm to the spray assembly using snap fit features.
Accordingly, a spray assembly for a dishwasher appliance with features for assisting mounting of a spray arm to the spray assembly would be useful. In particular, a spray assembly for a dishwasher appliance with features for permitting a spray arm to rotate a bearing in order to mount of the spray arm to the spray assembly would be useful.
In addition, mounting the upper spray assembly to the tub can be tedious or difficult. Certain upper spray assemblies are mounted to tubs with fasteners such as screws. However, fasteners can strip out and are also labor intensive. Further, securing the upper spray arm to a blow molded conduit that supplies wash fluid to the upper spray arm can be difficult due to the tolerance and geometric limitations of blow molded components.
Accordingly, a spray assembly for a dishwasher appliance with features for assisting mounting of the spray assembly to the dishwasher appliance would be useful. In particular, a spray assembly for a dishwasher appliance with features for assisting mounting of the spray assembly to a blow molded conduit of the dishwasher appliance would be useful.